Playing on clay, the most grueling surface to win on, is a thinking man's game. You don't have to be the biggest hitter in the world, but if you know how to play on clay and make smart decisions to make the surface work against your opponent, you can have the advantage.

	MAL-ADJUSTED
	Washington Throughout the French Open, former ATP Tour pro MaliVai Washington will provide ESPN.com with in-depth scouting reports and analysis. Washington, a tennis analyst for ESPN, begins with a look at the top contenders for the men's singles title at Roland Garros.

For instance, playing shots behind your opponent is a smart tactic. On a hard court, you can run one way, stop on a dime and go back the other way. On clay, when you play behind your opponent, the surface sends him slipping and sliding around as he tries to adjust his footwork and make the cut.

The instability of playing on clay also makes patience an important part of the game. Points are typically much shorter on grass courts, which allows players to be more aggressive. On clay, however, it's sometimes tough to be explosive and come into the net when your feet are sliding out from under you.

And since points are generally going to be longer on clay, fitness is another key element to success at Roland Garros.

With these factors in mind, here's a look at the top contenders for the men's singles title at the French Open:

Andre Agassi, United States
After losing in the finals in 1990 and 1991, everything came together last year as Agassi won his first French Open title. His victory was immediately attributed to his fitness, and his conditioning definitely played a part in the win. Another thing that propelled Agassi to the title was winning some matches he probably shouldn't have won, which, nine times out of 10, factors into winning a Grand Slam. Agassi was two points away from losing to Arnaud Clement in the second round, and in the round of 16, lost the opening set to Carlos Moya before coming back to finish off the defending French Open champ in four sets. Those comebacks, especially early in the tournament, can give a player a mental edge and the belief that he can fight back from anything. So in the final, when Agassi lost the first two sets to Andrei Medvedev, he knew he could come back, even as the No. 13 seed.

		What about Pete? If someone said my life was on the line but that I could pick a player to play for my life, I'd be hard-pressed not to pick Pete Sampras -- even if the match was on clay and Pete's opponent was Gustavo Kuerten. In a single match, Sampras has proven he can beat anyone on any surface. Look at what he did in Russia in the Davis Cup a couple years ago. However, when it comes to the French Open, where you have to string together five, six or seven good matches in a row on clay to win the tournament, Sampras is not your man. Is he going to win the French Open this year? No. And in my opinion, he won't ever win at Roland Garros. He is without a doubt one of the game's all-time greatest players, but when the match is on clay, too many guys go out on the court feeling they can beat him. Anyone who has ever been No. 1 has had a bit of an aura about him. At that point, guys don't feel they can beat him. Pete had that for a long time, but not nearly as much now, and not at all on clay.

Alex Corretja, Spain
Here's a guy who can do well at the French Open, and proved it with an appearance in the 1998 final at Roland Garros. But after a great year in 1998, he had sort of a lull in 1999, and confidence could be lacking. In this year's Tennis Masters Series, he suffered losses in the quarterfinals at Monte Carlo, in the semifinals at Rome and in the third round at Hamburg. Still, clay is arguably his best surface.

Dominik Hrbaty, Slovakia
If there's a guy who is never a favorite to win a Grand Slam, Hrbaty is it. Still, he's the kind of player who can come out of nowhere. At last year's French Open, he beat top-seeded Kafelnikov in the second round (6-1, 6-4, 6-4) before ultimately losing to Agassi in the semifinals (4-6, 6-7 (8-6), 6-3, 4-6). Beat Sampras 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 in their opening match of the World Team Cup.

Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Russia
Although he was the French Open's top seed last year, and won at Roland Garros in 1996, Kafelnikov won't hesitate to admit he's playing like a dog on clay right now. He's notorious for slow starts in the clay-court season -- he didn't get past the second round in his first four clay tournaments in 1999 when he was among the top three ranked players in the world. But after losing in Monte Carlo in mid-April, Kafelnikov said, "Just give me a few more weeks. ... Then guys are going to be afraid to play me." Time has passed, and he still hasn't come up with the goods, but the guy knows how to play on clay and has the potential to win the French Open.

Gustavo Kuerten, Brazil
He's a true clay-court player who can also play on other surfaces. He's patient and can hit a big ball, or step up and hit a big serve when he needs to. Kuerten's also not afraid to come of the net, and very confident on clay after winning two Masters Series events last year and the French Open in 1997. A guy like that knows he has the edge when he walks on the court with you.

Nicolas Lapentti, Ecuador
At the 1999 Australian Open, Lapentti won four five-set matches. He's a fighter, and on clay you need that sort of mentality and attitude. He hasn't lit it up this year at all, but if he brings the same dogged personality to Paris that he had Down Under, he could fare well in France.

Magnus Norman, Sweden
To win a major tournament on clay, you have to be able to ground stroke, and that's the best part of Norman's game. He doesn't look to come to the net very often. If he does, it's a sign he's pretty sure he has the point won. Also, after taking over the top spot in the ATP Tour Champions Race in mid-May (after beating Kuerten in four sets to win the Tennis Masters Series-Roma) and making his first Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open, confidence is high.

Cedric Pioline, France
Pioline could be the favorite, but it's very tough to win your country's own Grand Slam. He's going in on a roll and will be seeded, so everybody -- from fans to media members -- will want a piece of him. Not many people can play under that kind of pressure. However, he has all the attributes to be successful on clay. He has the ability to stay at the baseline and work the point. He also can come in on the second serve when he's returning and get to the net. He'll also serve and volley on the second serve if he needs to. And overall, his all-around game is stronger than Kuerten's or Norman's. But he's an erratic Frenchman, with the personality that Henri Leconte had. Sometimes you didn't know what game was going to show up. Guy Forget had it. Arnaud Boetsch had it. Now Pioline has it.

Marcelo Rios, Chile
Definitely a contender. Though he hasn't had too much success this year, he is still one of the best clay-courters on tour. Some of his success will depend on how healthy he is after his groin surgery last year. Coming back from major surgery is not something you get over in a couple months.